In a parliamentary hearing on April 27, the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) revealed some of its modernization goals and critical vulnerabilities in the country’s maritime security.
TNI AL Chief of Staff, Admiral Muhammad Ali, stated that the service is currently unable to monitor foreign submarines’ activity within the country’s archipelagic sea lanes––which include key chokepoints like the Sunda, Lombok, and Makassar Straits––as it lacks fixed seabed underwater surveillance systems. Meanwhile, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) allows foreign submarines to pass through these sea lanes while submerged.
Hence, Admiral Ali stressed that the navy must acquire systems akin to U.S. SOSUS that would enable real-time detection and tracking of underwater objects, including unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). He noted that a proposal for acquiring such systems has been submitted to the Ministry of Defence and received presidential backing.
Additionally, the admiral outlined broader C4ISR modernization goals. By 2024, TNI AL aims to operate 35 coastal surveillance systems/sites, eight underwater surveillance systems, six fleet command and control centres, and one main/national-level command and control centre. Investments in long-range surveillance technologies, satellite capabilities, artificial intelligence, and advanced information fusion centres are part of the modernization goals.
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